John Williams

City Kids Camp is hosting a benefit auction of a Portugal Duoro River Cruise* with John Williams this October 3-10, 2025. The auction is accepting bids Friday, Feb. 21 at noon through Sunday, March 2 at noon. All proceeds go directly to City Kids Camp.

The Duoro River Valley is renowned for its picturesque landscape, rolling hills, rich culture, and exquisite regional wines. This cruise embarks from Porto where you’ll board AmaWaterways’ newest ship, the AmaSintra for a 7-day sail through Portugal and Spain. Trip highlights include the village of Entre-os-Rios where you’ll enjoy a traditional Portuguese lunch with the best of the country’s renowned wine, tour the largest region for port wine, visit Salamanca, Spain’s “Golden City” with its honey-colored sandstone buildings, be escorted or hike up to the fortified village of Castelo Rodrigo for great views and a sampling of produce and wines, visit one of Portugal’s most important pilgrimage sites and much more.

The 7-night luxury cruise includes cultural performances, immersive tours in every destination, regionally-inspired cuisine, sun deck with a pool, daily Sip & Sail Cocktail Hour with complimentary wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks, unlimited fine wine, beer, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, and more.

More information about this cruise, organized and donated by Kelly Cruises & Tours, is available here.

WGN Radio’s John Williams and Lisa Dent will host a radiothon benefit for City Kids Camp on Wednesday, May 21, 1:45 to 3 pm.

City Kids Camp is an Illinois-based 501(c)(3) that takes kids out of the city and into the country for a week away at camp. Located about three hours south of Chicago in Lewistown on 167 acres, City Kids Camp welcomes inner-city youth from 4th to 12th grade and provides them with refuge and respite and the adventures of a sleepover camp. Activities include archery, hiking, fishing, swimming, crafts, basketball, soccer, campfires with s’mores and more. A team of dedicated volunteers, counselors, nurses, teachers, mentors and motivational speakers work together to encourage and nurture the campers. City Kids Camp gives the kids the opportunity to become more independent, self-confident, learn new skills and make new friends.

*Valid passports are required to travel. Airfare is not included. The cabin and sailing date are set and cannot be changed. A 3-night pre-cruise stay in Lisbon may be added for an additional cost.

Brian Gordon, President, Gordon Associates, talks to John about long-term care insurance, when people should start thinking about long-term care insurance, the benefits of buying the insurance when you are younger, who the policies are typically for, what policies normally pay, the expenses and average premiums for long-term care insurance, and what triggers the benefit. Brian also answers all of your long-term care insurance questions.

Attorney Rae Kaplan of Kaplan Law Firm joins John Williams to talk about a US appeals court blocking the Biden-era student debt relief plan. What does this all mean for you? Rae has the answers.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the 8 habits of successful exercisers. Dawn also tells John what you should know about prebiotics and probiotics, and answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast talking about President Trump blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia. What do the Rascals make of Trump’s statements? Today, Governor Pritzker delivered his 2025 State of the State and budget address while also slamming the Trump administration’s similarities to Nazi Germany. What were the biggest takeaways from JB’s speech? A state representative wants to create a Illinois Department of Government Efficiency. Do the Rascals believe Illinois needs a DOGE? Also, I may have been dreaming, but I think I heard Brandon say Stephen A. Smith would be a great presidential candidate. Let’s get to some local stories. Mayor Johnson’s $830M borrowing plan for infrastructure projects was delayed today at the City Council. What are the Rascals thoughts on Johnson’s plan? And finally, it’s time for some Red Light. Yellow Light. Green Light. What are the Rascals recommending, sort of recommending, or not recommending this week?

Indiana State Representative Ragen Hatcher (D-Gary) joins John Williams to talk about the effort by the Indiana legislature to welcome Illinois counties to their state. Rep. Hatcher wonders if the counties in Indiana that more align with Illinois would be able to join Illinois.

Illinois State Representative John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) joins John Williams to talk about his bill that would create an Illinois Department of Government Efficiency. Rep. Cabello explains why this is a need and how government needs to save money for the taxpayers.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about his recent food preference survey, and an ominous social media post made by President Trump over the weekend. How seriously should we take these social media posts?

Here’s the recipe for Eric Zorn’s go-to recipe for the Best Baked Mac ‘N Cheese which was shared with him by longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys who got it from a friend:

Cook and drain 1 lb. elbow macaroni. Set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter on low heat; add 1/4 c. flour and stir one minute to make a roux. Gradually whisk in 1 c. whipping cream and 2 c. whole milk. Increase heat a bit to bring to a simmer and cook until thick – approximately three minutes. Reduce heat back to low and add cheese. If you’re using blue cheese, reserve one cup of it for a topping at the end. You’ll want 3 c. or 1.5-lb. of grated smoked or cheddar cheese and/or 1.5 c. or 3/4 lb. of blue cheese. Whisk the mixture for about two minutes to melt the cheese. Add salt and pepper, then pasta. Stir to coat. Pour into a buttered 13′ x 9′ baking dish. If you’ve reserved some cheese for topping, use it now to sprinkle over the top along with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.